Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Now, readers, the content is well and good, but it doesn't necessarily get through to Messianics. Of course, Jews for Judaism is primarily countering Jews for Jesus, not necessarily Messianics. And yes, there is a difference. As my brother recently wrote about in his Messianic blog, there is indeed a difference. While some J4Jesus might call themselves Messianic, the difference I am talking about is in the intentions of the missionary organization J4Jesus and the intentions of most groups titling themselves Messianic.

Again, I agree entirely with the content of this video, but let me show you some places that Messianics will try to get a word in to prove otherwise.

1. Rabbi Skobac's first point is that when the coming Mashiahh is reigning as King, Israel will have been returned from exile. He says the past 2,000+ year exile, but couldn't it have been around the first century CE? It definitely could have been, and that is what any given Messianic might point out regarding this first point.

However, Rabbi Skobac is correct in that - this didn't happen in the time of Yeshu. It could have, but didn't. There were many Jews still in Bavel, and that is actually given in the Gemara, by Resh Lakish, as one of the reasons for this past Roman exile.

I don't believe, however, that all Jews must be in Israel in order for the Mashiahh to return Dawid's Kingdom. I think that will be a result of that Kingdom being re-established, and should it be soon in our days.

2. Rabbi Skobac's second point is of the Temple and that it was still standing when Yeshu is said to have existed. That doesn't necessarily mean there couldn't have been a return of Dawid's Kingdom via his descendant to be Mashiahh, but it definitely would have needed to be at least somewhat reconstructed to its former glory.

However, that did not happen in the early centuries CE.

3. The third point raised is that when Mashiahh comes, world peace will come about. This is true, but only after Israel destroys many nations.

But neither destroying Israel's enemies nor the resulting world peace happened via Yeshu. In fact, the opposite. As the Rabbi mentions, wars increased, sometimes in the name of Jesus, and very often against Israel. The Crusades, which resulted in persecution and destruction of Jewish life that had yet remained in the Land of Israel. Christian Europe was constantly involved in the persecution of Jews, a special hatred that is specifically bred by Christianity itself which labels Jews as "primitive" and non-believers in their claimed salvation.

4. The fourth point is that at the time of the reign of King Mashiahh, Dawid, and his restored Kingdom, Jews will collectively become observant.

This is true, because by both physical and spiritual means, this re-establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven upon this earth, which is the Kingdom of Dawid, the aspect of emuna (faith) in HaShem will be elevated to it's proper place. This will affect the whole world, in fact, and lead to remaining nations in the earth to undoubtedly draw closer to HaShem.

For especially over the last 2,000 years, secularism and philosophy (the attempt to rationalize the Creator) have flourished, causing atheism, and people who follow their family's religion only in name. The Catholic who goes out and parties, does whatever he wants in his college years, indulges in hedonism. The Muslim who does whatever, just prays extra on Friday. And the Jew who minorly observes some religious customs while basically doing whatever he wants, following along in the culture of where he lives.

It would have been better had all of the nations stayed with their native pagan beliefs instead of forming new religions like Christianity and Islam which make mention of the Jewish people and claim to be the correct extension of them, and claim to correct mistakes that the Jewish people supposedly made. That is the largest catalyst of world anti-Semitism.

5. Point number 5 goes together with the rest and has much to do with point 4.

This blog is getting a bit long, so I'm going to insert "Part 1" into the title and continue with the rest in a second post.